The Redevelopment Authority of the City of Erie (RACE) is celebrating a milestone.

The agency has now been serving the Erie community for 70 years.

Formed in 1955 by Erie City Council, RACE has been responsible for addressing blight and supporting housing initiatives in the city of Erie.

"We've had our stake in the city of Erie for a long time," said RACE Executive Director Aaron Snippert. "It means a lot that we are still continuing to be vibrant and bringing initiatives and momentum to the city of Erie."

Snippert has been with RACE since 2011, and took over as its leader in 2020.

Over the past five years, the agency has demolished more than 200 blighted properties, while rehabilitating hundreds of homes.

"Now, our focus is on revitalization and finding different funding sources and different things to bring into the neighborhoods and the city of Erie to invest and provide with public dollars to drive public investment." said Snippert.

Moving forward, RACE is focused on removing lead hazards from homes, as well as the East Bayfront Greenway Trail Project, aimed at transforming unsound properties and vacant lots into green spaces and parks.

"Another new initiative that will be coming down the pipe here hopefully soon, a little more assistance for homeowners so we're hoping to roll that out once we get more assistance and those contracts signed." said Snippert.